I smiled when I read Danny Leigh’s review of Kenneth Branagh’s movie Belfast and his (correct) reference to how we locals, like Judi Dench’s character, call films “fill-ums” (Life & ArtsFT Weekend, January 22).

Seeing it written that way however made me think how movies do just that – fill time, fill a gap, fill audiences with emotions that transport them from their everyday lives.

So I wondered if “fill-um” might be our own way of expressing a deeper understanding of the cinematic experience. Then I realized that was the “buck eejit” in me talking and I needed to “catch myself on”.

Because I suspect “fill-um”, as a pronunciation, never will.

Caroline Eagles
Rostrevor, County Down, UK